Evaluation of Antioxidant Butylated Hydroxyanisole and Fungicide Prochloraz for Control of Post-Harvest Anthracnose of Avocado Fruit During Storage. D. Prusky, Department of Post-harvest Science of Fresh Produce, ARO, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Is-rael. H. D. Ohr, N. Grech, and S. Campbell, Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, Riverside 92521; and I. Kobiler, G. Zauberman, and Y. Fuchs, Department of Post-harvest Science of Fresh Produce, ARO, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan 50250, Israel. Plant Dis. 79:797-800. Accepted for publication 2 May 1995. Copyright 1995 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-79-0797.

The incidence of post-harvest anthracnose of avocado caused by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides was reduced significantly after dip or spray treatment with the antioxidant butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) or BHA + prochloraz. In small, medium, and semicommercial experiments in California on cv. Hass and in Israel on cv. Fuerte there was a significant reduction of decay by single treatments of 1,200 µg a.i. of BHA per ml or of 1,200 µg a.i. of BHA + 250 µg a.i. of prochloraz per ml. Prochloraz at 1,000 µg a.i./ml alone did not always reduce the incidence of decay while BHA or BHA + prochloraz reduced decay consistently. The effect of BHA + prochloraz lasted longer than that of BHA alone. It is suggested that the antioxidant might reduce post-harvest decay in avocado by modulating the natural fruit resistance.

Keyword(s): antifungal compound, post-harvest diseases, post-harvest treatments, quiescent infections.